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From: dwp@willett.pgh.pa.us (Doug Philips)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: Interpret vs. Compile (was: CATCH and THROW)
Message-ID: <1773.UUL1.3#5129@willett.pgh.pa.us>
Date: 20 Sep 90 12:07:27 GMT
References: <9009191309.AA25742@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: String, Scotch tape, and Paperclips.  (in Pgh, PA)
Lines: 36

In <9009191309.AA25742@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, wmb@MITCH.ENG.SUN.COM (Mitch Bradley) writes:

I agree with your post up to this point.---\
					   V

> The classic example is debugging.  When debugging, it is a pain to
> have to remember that there are certain things that you can't just type
> in at the keyboard and have them work the same way that the work inside
> a colon definition.
> 
> It is even more of a pain to *explain* to novices why certain things
> don't work.  It is nicer if everything just works.  As Forth "catches
> on" here at Sun, I find that teaching and support is becoming more and
> more critical to success.  Right or wrong, people expect things to work
> the same when interpreted and when compiled, and they are confused and
> unhappy when the expection is violated.  (The worst offender is ' vs. ['] ).

I've gone to and fro in my opinion on your point here.  State-smart versus
state-less.  Short-term learning curve versus long-term learning curve.

The question I have at this point is what weight should be given to the
consistency position you cite in your new-user case.  I assume you also
have problems explaining why  IF  THEN    DO  LOOP  and so on also
don't work if interpreted?

I know that this topic is a perennial one, but I can't remember if its
been raised in this particular context:

How do Forth's interpret/compile, pre-fix/post-fix, state-smart/state-less
dualities really impact the learnability of Forth?  And does that really
impact the spread of Forth as a popular language?  (i.e. should we care
a lot or a little about the first question?)

-Doug
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